Claims:CLAIMS:
I / We Claim:
1. A dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system, comprising:
an expansion chamber configured with an outer cylindrical tube and an inner multilayer rotating wall connected to a first motor and a second motor respectively to allow adjustment of the expansion chamber to thereby vary the pressure of medication released from a canister;
an orifice configured with a third motor connected to a shutter mechanism positioned at the end of the expansion chamber to allow entry of varied amount of medication into the patient’s mouth;
a spindle configured with a fourth motor and a holder at the bottom to enable automatic or manual change of the spindle position in horizontal direction;
a controller configured to determine the arrangement of said expansion chamber, said orifice, and said spindle based on personal data input by the user and transmit control signals to said first motor, said second motor, said third motor, and said fourth motor;
a wireless receiver configured to receive and transmit said personal data from the user to said controller;
whereby said dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system aids to provide requisite amount and plume of medication based on the type of patient.
2. The dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system as recited in claim 1, wherein said inhaler system includes a battery configured to supply power to said inhaler system.
3. The dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system as recited in claim 1, wherein said inhaler system includes electronics and display unit to house said controller, said wireless receiver and a graphical display that displays relevant data to the patient.
4. The dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system as recited in claim 1, wherein said outer cylindrical tube is connected to a rack and pinion mechanism to reduce or increase length and said inner multilayer rotating wall is connected to a bevel gear mechanism to reduce or increase the diameter.
5. The dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system as recited in claim 1, wherein said shutter mechanism is similar to a camera shutter mechanism that closes and opens radially.
6. The dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system as recited in claim 1, wherein said holder is connected to a rack and pinion arrangement and a sliding mechanism to enable forward and backward movement of said spindle.
7. The dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system as recited in claim 6, wherein said sliding mechanism includes either a roller sliding mechanism or a ball sliding mechanism.
8. The dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system as recited in claim 1, wherein said wireless receiver receives personal data from an input device which includes either a mobile phone or a smartphone or the like connected wirelessly.
9. A method to dynamically change the arrangement of an inhaler system components according to the type of patient, comprising:
inputting personal data to the system;
receiving and transmitting said personal data to the controller;
determining volume of expansion chamber, size of the orifice, and position of the spindle based on said personal data;
transmitting control signals to a first motor, a second motor, a third motor and a fourth motor connected to the outer cylindrical tube, the inner multilayer rotating wall, the orifice and the spindle respectively; and
adjusting the volume of the expansion chamber, the size of the orifice, and the position of the spindle to provide requisite amount of medication to the patient.
, Description:DESCRIPTION:
Field of the invention:
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the technical field of inhalers, and in specific relates to a smart user adaptive inhaler system that allows the user to dynamically change the shape and dimensions of the internal components according to the type of patient.
Background of the invention:
[0002] Respiration is a vital process that provides oxygen for producing energy in the human body. The importance of respiration is very high as the life of the individual depends on it. Respiratory illness refers to any type of disease that affects the lungs and other respiratory organs. Respiratory illnesses are widely prevalent and they are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Various types of respiratory illnesses include asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Chronic Bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer and thereof.

[0003] Inhalers are typically used for delivering medication into the body via lungs. A metered-dose inhaler (MDI) delivers a specific amount of medication to the lungs, in the form of a short burst of aerosolized medicine that is usually self-administered by the patient through inhalation. Metered-dose Inhaler (MDI) is the most commonly used delivery system for treating asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory diseases. The medication in a metered-dose inhaler is most commonly a bronchodilator, corticosteroid or a combination of both for the treatment of asthma and COPD. Other medications that are administered by MDI but are used rarely include mast cell stabilizers, such as cromoglicate or nedocromil.

[0004] The metered-dose inhalers comprise three major components which include a canister, a metering valve and an actuator. The canister comprises the medication to be inhaled by the patient, the metering valve allows metered dosage of the medication for each actuation, and the actuator aids the user to operate the inhaler and guides the aerosol medication into the patient’s lungs. The user presses the canister to release one metered dosage of the medication. Then, the medication is released through the orifice at the end of the metering valve.

[0005] The pattern /envelope /plume of the medication delivered from the inhaler is very critical for the deposition of the medicine in various parts of the lungs. This is predominantly controlled by the internal structure and position of the spindle in which the canister is mounted in the inhaler. The pattern of the medication delivered is important since the amount of medication that reaches the lungs is dependent on the pattern and if the medication pattern is not proper, the medication often deposits inside the mouth of the patient. Improperly delivered medication results in reduced effectiveness and thereby leads to increased consumption of the medication.

[0006] In updated technology, an asymmetric inhaler is used to produce an inhalable aerosol of a powdered medicament that includes an aerosolizing device in the form of a vortex chamber. The vortex chamber has a curved wall, a tangential inlet port and an axial exit port. The radius of the vortex chamber decreases with angular extend. The reduction in effective cross-sectional area of the vortex chamber accelerates the gas flow between the inlet and the outlet to reduce deposition of the medicament. However, the asymmetric inhaler does not customize the medication deposition based on the type of patient.

[0007] Therefore, there exists a need for a smart user adaptive inhaler system that allows the user to dynamically change the shape and dimensions of the internal components according to the type of patient. There is a need for a smart inhaler system that adjusts the internal arrangement of the components according to the type of patient based on the user input. There exists a need for a smart inhaler system that changes the location and shape of the medication to form correct plume to reach different portions of the patient’s lungs. Such an inhaler should possess the capability to provide requisite plume or pattern of medication for different patients including children, elderly patients and thereof. There is a need to effectively cure the severity of the disease using less amount of medication.

Objectives of the invention:
[0008] The primary objective of the invention is to provide a smart user adaptive inhaler system that allows the user to dynamically change the shape and dimensions of the internal components according to the type of patient.

[0009] The other objective of the invention is to provide a smart inhaler system that allows the patient to enter the personal data using a Bluetooth interface such as a mobile phone or a smartphone.

[0010] Another objective of the invention is to provide a controller that adjusts the size of the orifice, volume of the expansion chamber and the position of the spindle to effectively deposit medicine in different portions of patients lungs based on the patient personal data.

[0011] Further objective of the invention is to reduce the amount of medication deposit in the mouth of the patient.

[0012] The other objective of the invention is to facilitate requisite plume or pattern of medication for different patients including children, elderly patients and thereof.

[0013] Yet another objective of the invention is to effectively cure the severity of the disease using less amount of medication than conventional inhalers.

Summary of the invention:
[0014] The present disclosure proposes a dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system. The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the claimed subject matter. This summary is not an extensive overview. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of the claimed subject matter. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0015] In order to overcome the above deficiencies of the prior art, the present disclosure is to solve the technical problem to provide a smart user adaptive inhaler system that allows the user to dynamically change the shape and dimensions of the internal components according to the type of patient.

[0016] According to an aspect, the invention provides a dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system. The smart inhaler system comprises an expansion chamber, an orifice, a spindle, a controller, and a wireless receiver. The inhaler system includes a battery configured to supply power to the inhaler system. The inhaler system includes electronics and display unit to house the controller, the wireless receiver and a graphical display that displays relevant data to the patient. The dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system aids to provide requisite amount and plume of medication based on the type of patient.

[0017] The expansion chamber is configured with an outer cylindrical tube and an inner multilayer rotating wall connected to a first motor and a second motor respectively to allow adjustment of the expansion chamber. In specific, the outer cylindrical tube is connected to a rack and pinion mechanism to reduce or increase length and the inner multilayer rotating wall is connected to a bevel gear mechanism to reduce or increase the diameter. The first motor and the second motor vary the pressure of medication released from a canister. The orifice is configured with a third motor connected to a shutter mechanism positioned at the end of the expansion chamber to allow entry of a varied amount of medication into the patient’s mouth. In specific, the shutter mechanism is similar to a camera shutter mechanism that closes and opens radially.

[0018] The spindle is configured with a fourth motor and a holder at the bottom to enable automatic or manual change of the spindle position in horizontal direction. In specific, the holder is connected to a rack and pinion arrangement and a sliding mechanism to enable forward and backward movement of said spindle. The sliding mechanism includes either a roller sliding mechanism or a ball sliding mechanism. The controller is configured to determine the arrangement of the expansion chamber, the orifice, and the spindle based on personal data input by the user and transmit control signals to the first motor, the second motor, the third motor and the fourth motor. The wireless receiver is configured to receive and transmit the personal data from the user to the controller. In specific, the wireless receiver receives personal data from an input device which includes either a mobile phone or a smartphone or the like connected wirelessly.

[0019] According to another aspect of the invention, a method to dynamically change the arrangement of an inhaler system components according to the type of patient includes the steps comprising of inputting personal data to the system. Then, the wireless receiver receives and transmits the personal data to the controller. Next, the controller determines the volume of the expansion chamber, size of the orifice, and position of the spindle based on the personal data. Later, the controller transmits control signals to the first motor, the second motor, the third motor and the fourth motor connected to the outer cylindrical tube, the inner multilayer rotating wall, the orifice and the spindle respectively. Finally, the first motor, the second motor, the third motor and the fourth motor adjust the volume of the expansion chamber, the size of the orifice, and the position of the spindle to provide the requisite amount of medication to the patient.

[0020] Further, objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a study of the following portion of the specification, the claims, and the attached drawings.

Detailed description of drawings:
[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and, together with the description, explain the principles of the invention.

[0022] FIG. 1 refers to a dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system in accordance to an embodiment of the invention.

[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an exemplary method to dynamically change the arrangement of inhaler system components according to the type of patient in accordance to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed invention disclosure:
[0024] Various embodiments of the present invention will be described in reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, same or similar reference numerals are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts or steps.

[0025] The present disclosure has been made with a view towards solving the problem with the prior art described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a smart user adaptive inhaler system that allows the user to dynamically change the shape and dimensions of the internal components according to the type of patient.

[0026] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, FIG. 1 refers to a dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system 100. The smart inhaler system 100 comprises an expansion chamber, an orifice 110, a spindle 109, a controller (not shown), and a wireless receiver (not shown). The inhaler system 100 includes a battery configured to supply power to the inhaler system. The inhaler system includes an electronics and display unit 102 to house the controller, the wireless receiver and a graphical display that displays relevant data to the patient. The dynamic user adaptive smart inhaler system 100 aids to provide requisite amount and plume of medication based on the type of patient.

[0027] The expansion chamber is configured with an outer cylindrical tube 103 and an inner multilayer rotating wall 106 connected to a first motor 104 and a second motor 108 respectively to allow adjustment of the expansion chamber. The outer cylindrical tube 103 of the expansion chamber is fitted into the spindle 109 using airtight sealing to avoid leakage of the drug. In specific, the outer cylindrical tube 103 is connected to a rack and pinion mechanism to reduce or increase length and the inner multilayer rotating wall 106 is connected to a bevel gear mechanism 107 to reduce or increase the diameter. The first motor 104 and the second motor 108 vary the pressure of medication released from a canister. The orifice 110 is configured with a third motor 111 connected to a shutter mechanism positioned at the end of the expansion chamber to allow entry of a varied amount of medication into the patient’s mouth. In specific, the shutter mechanism is similar to a camera shutter mechanism that closes and opens radially.

[0028] The spindle 109 is configured with a fourth motor 112 and a holder 113 at the bottom to enable automatic or manual change of the spindle 109 position in horizontal direction. In specific, the holder 113 is connected to a rack and pinion arrangement and a sliding mechanism to enable forward and backward movement of the spindle 109. The sliding mechanism includes either a roller sliding mechanism or a ball sliding mechanism. The controller is configured to determine the arrangement of the expansion chamber, the orifice 110, and the spindle 109 based on personal data input by the user and transmit control signals to the first motor 104, the second motor 108, the third motor 111 and the fourth motor 112. The personal data input by the user includes age, ethnicity, gender and thereof. The wireless receiver is configured to receive and transmit the personal data from the user to the controller. In specific, the wireless receiver receives personal data from an input device which includes either a mobile phone or a smartphone or the like connected wirelessly.

[0029] According to another aspect of the invention, a method to dynamically change the arrangement of an inhaler system components according to the type of patient includes the steps comprising of inputting personal data to the system at step 201. Then at step 202, the wireless receiver receives and transmits the personal data to the controller. Next, the controller determines the volume of the expansion chamber, size of the orifice, and position of the spindle based on the personal data at step 203. Later at step 204, the controller transmits control signals to a first motor, a second motor, a third motor and a fourth motor connected to the outer cylindrical tube, the inner multilayer rotating wall, the orifice and the spindle respectively. Finally, at step 205, the first motor, the second motor, the third motor and the fourth motor adjust the volume of the expansion chamber, the size of the orifice, and the position of the spindle to provide the requisite amount of medication to the patient.

[0030] Numerous advantages of the present disclosure may be apparent from the discussion above. In accordance with the present disclosure, a smart user adaptive inhaler system that allows the user to dynamically change the shape and dimensions of the internal components according to the type of patient is provided. The system allows the patient to enter the personal data using a Bluetooth interface such as a mobile phone or a smartphone. The controller adjusts the size of the orifice, the volume of the expansion chamber and the position of the spindle to effectively deposit medicine in different portions of patients lungs based on the patient personal data. The system reduces the amount of medication deposit in the mouth of the patient. The smart inhaler system facilitates requisite plume or pattern of medication for different patients including children, elderly patients and thereof. The system aids to effectively cure the severity of the disease using less amount of medication than conventional inhalers.

[0031] The outer cylindrical tube may be made of a flexible material with adequate strength so that the outer cylindrical tube should not restrict the forward movement of the spindle. The smart inhaler system may comprise plurality of LED indicators to indicate the status of the movement of the internal components and also the battery level. The input device may include a laptop or a personal computer or any similar device that utilizes Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to connect to the smart inhaler system.

[0032] It will readily be apparent that numerous modifications and alterations can be made to the processes described in the foregoing examples without departing from the principles underlying the invention, and all such modifications and alterations are intended to be embraced by this application.